The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-27
THE CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD.
A Theory, by WILDER l.. Stonex.


Paper Read Before the Ekhart County Medical Asso-
citation. at Elkhart, April IL, Is Isl.
While in college used to assist occasionally
10 an experiment which afforded US much
amusement and also q source of constant
wonder. It was this: One of our number
would lie down on table and four others would
stand around the body, two either side, one
at the shoulder and one at the thigh and then.
slowly and together, all would draw in their
breath, with full inspiration, three times.
With the third inspiration the four would put
their finger,ip under the body of the fifth and
lift With marvellous ease the body would be
lifted high in the air, but Immediately after
would fall heavily unless strong muscular efforts
were made to preventit
few years since my attention was again
drawn to the subject and l began to study into
it. found that while at the first attempt three
full Inspirations, and sometimes more were
necessary before the best results were reached,
after a few trials preliminary Inspirations
were required. l also found that the experiment
could only be performed successfully when all
the persons lifting drew in their breath and lifted
at the same instant. l then found that it was
wholly immaterial whether the person who was
being lifted drew in his breath not. also
found that it could be as we'll performed ON a
dead weight living body-the weight 1
used was heavy iron letter-press. I also found
that one person alone could perform the expert
ment we'll as when acting with others.
These experiments proved to me that the
power which enabled me to lift the weight came
with the act of inspiring and as the natural re-
suit Of that act It then occurred to me that, as
the air We breathe is the great store-house of
electricity, perhaps the act of inspiration which
serves to bring into the lungs this air, brings.
Also its electricity with it, and that electricity
is thus taken from the air into the human sys-
tenn and that by thus charging the system with
electricity it is enabled at the instant, to exert
the unusual strength shown by the experiment
to which l have referred. The thought then
suggested itself that this electricity, when
brought into che system by the act of inspira-
ton. is not lost by the succeeding expiration,
nor expended in any momentary effort made at
the time, but is. in part at least stored in some
part of the system. This was sugceste,, by
the fact, proven by the experiment to
which / have referred, that before the
requisite strength could be attained to perform
the experiment successfully, 1t was necessary to
make several full Inspirations but this having
been once attained. single inspiration supplied
enough additional power to enable the same
suit to be accomplished. II this suggestion was
correct, there must be. necessarily, somewhere
| in the human system an organ to perform this
function, and If the force is electricity the organ
should correspond to a battery of Leydec jars.
! My first thought was that the cells of the brain
| performed that function. For the purpose of
| satisfying myself on this point, made inquiry
| of friends whose knowledge OF anatomy |
/ could rely and the result to fully convince
/ me of the correctness of nv first impression,
and also to convince that this same electric
| force, acting through tho heart, is the force
which impels the blood in its circulation through
! the system
/ If this last conclusion is correct, it requires
| the statement of new theory, for the existing
theories do not recognize the force have named
as the force upon which the circulation of the
blood depends. In fact. think | can safely say
| that no theory sufficiently accounting for it has
yet been advanced. 1t is conceded, | believe
that mere muscular contraction is insufficient,
even TO account for the propulsion of the blood
from the heart. but even if il were admitted to
be sufficient for that still, it confessedly fails
to account for the force which draws it again
into the heart, and the force which causes the
/ heart to contract and expand No existing the
DRY attempts to fully or satisfactorily explain
that
/ THE THEORY STATED
/ The theory which have deduced from my in
! vestgations is this:
Electricity is the motive power which causes
the blood to circulate. The electricity is taken
from the air which is brought into the lungs by
respiration.
From the lungs vast number Of nerves run
directly to the brain and by these nerves.